Civilians could be called to the frontline of emergency care for heart attack patients under new plans being discussed by the county's ambulance service.

Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service is to target 23 areas across the county for training in the use of life-saving defibrillators.

Part-timers and volunteers could receive thorough training in responding to cardiac incidents, under the same kind of scheme which has seen fire crews providing defibrillator services in Teesside.

Three villages in East Yorkshire have already got involved in the First Responder initiative, by raising money for their own defibrillators.

Volunteers have then been given the necessary training to use the machines in advance of an ambulance arriving.

In North Yorkshire, Tollerton villagers are raising money for theirs with the help of the British Heart Foundation.

Now, the service is intending to pay for defibrillators in more areas and to provide more training.

Ian Coulton, director of operations, said research had been carried out by consultants Organised Research in Health, which had identified the number of calls in different areas.

In the areas with the most calls, 50 extra staff and seven fast response vehicles were being enlisted.

"Outside those areas, in the much more rural areas, where we have very good cover, we are looking at introducing more First Responder schemes," he said.

Twenty three areas are due to be approached to take part - the first by the end of this year and the rest progressively until March.

Mr Coulton said: "We will be looking for individuals who have an interest in helping their neighbours. They will have appropriate training - they are not being trained as paramedics or ambulancemen."

He said the technology was so advanced that the defibrillators gave the user all the instructions and would only administer an electric shock if it recognised a certain heart rhythm.

A group of volunteers would be trained and the defibrillator - a portable machine which is used to revive the heart - would be kept in a house, pub or post office.

He said similar schemes had been tried elsewhere in the country and had been successful, as they had in American cities like Seattle.